To overcome shortage, Bihar police to recruit retired police officers


Bihar, which employs retired Army personnel in its Special Auxiliary Police (SAP) on contract to compensate for shortage of police personnel, now plans to engage retired police officers from the rank of assistant police inspectors (ASIs) to inspectors into its police force on contract, officials familiar with the matter said.

On July 10, the police headquarter (PHQ) wrote to the heads of various wings of the police force and district police chiefs regarding with re-employment of ASIs, SIs and inspectors on contractual basis and sought a detailed proposal by July 12.

“The employment on contract basis will be done in the same post from which the police officer retired. Police officers, who retired between April 1, 2020, and July 31, 2021, are eligible to apply. The engagement shall ordinarily be for an initial period not exceeding one year, which is extendable by another one year,” reads the communication issued by the PHQ.

No one beyond the age of 65 years will be engaged, it says.

Eligible aspirants should not have had faced major punishment in last 10 years or minor punishment in the last five years, including show cause notices. Also, they should not be already employed elsewhere.

The PHQ communication further says that the contractual employment will automatically be terminated if qualified personnel are available by regular promotion or appointment in the respective posts.

Officials in the PHQ said more than 20,000 posts of ASIs to inspectors are lying vacant in the Bihar Police.

Recently, chief minister Nitish Kumar said there was a need to add pace to police recruitment in the state, as there was a still significant shortage of policemen compared to several other states. “In Bihar, we still have just 100 policemen per one lakh population, whereas we should at least have 165-170. The Bihar Police strength should at least be 1.42 lakh,” he had said while speaking at a function marking the culmination of Police Week.

On July 3, 2007, the Bihar government had decided to recruit 11,500 retired Army jawans in SAP on contract.